October 14, 2006 — Simon Gerrans won his second consecutive Jayco Herald Sun Tour at the Lygon St. Criterium today (a 1.7km circuit, 80 minutes plus three laps, 65km approx), but much of the credit must go to his team mates, led by Tour de France sprint king Robbie McEwen who rose from the bunch to take the stage win and ensure his man took out the 55th edition of the Tour.

In a race and a final day that will live long in the memory as both the closest and the most exciting, day seven of the 2006 Tour delivered everything that it promised and more – with action a plenty and the most dramatic of conclusions.

Gerrans’ Jayco Team Australia was on song from the gun and gave their man all the support that he needed to become the first back-to-back winner of Australia’s oldest stage race in 32 years.

And they needed to be. With the bonus seconds on offer from today’s two intermediate sprints as well as at the stage finish likely to determine the results on general classification, every move made had the potential to be critical.

Controversy entered the race almost as quickly as the stage had begun with a number of riders in a thirteen rider early breakaway gesturing to the officials as they crossed the line from lap seven onwards.

Little of that was coming from the Australian team, which had all of its remaining squad except for Tony Mann in the lead group. But some of those complaints seemed to be directed at the fact that McEwen, who had fallen in the opening lap, was allowed to resume the race with the leaders.

All of the drama reached a crescendo at the 25 minute mark, when the first of the sprints was contested. McEwen, playing an unfamiliar role for the team, led Gerrans out in an attempt to edge him into the lead overall.

But chief commissaire, “Nobby” Matsukura relegated McEwen for failing to maintain his line and causing interference to another rider, leaving overnight leader, Chris Jongewaard as the recipient of the three bonus seconds.

But with Gerrans picking up two and the other main contender for the Tour win, David McCann getting the remaining one, the contest remained a race director’s dream and a team director’s nightmare — Jongewaard by two seconds over Gerrans with McCann just a further second behind.

The excellent crowd lined up behind the barricades was spellbound by what was continuing to unfold before their eyes.

The 25 minutes between the sprints was only a fraction quieter than the opening stanza. Although the field was all together for much of this period, the Jayco boys maintained a strong presence at the front of the field.

Stage three winner Trent Wilson and young star, Trent Lowe were the most prominent during the quieter periods although a power of work was also done by both David Kemp and David Tanner from the Australia Under 23 team.

Navigator’s Hilton Clarke’s grasp on the green sprinters’ jersey looked to be at risk when he crashed heavily just before the second sprint. He was ordered by the race commissaries to retire from the stage, with several cuts and lacerations the cause for concern.

But when his nearest rival for the sprint crown, Germany’s Tobias failed to figure in the points for sprint number two, the same race officials declared Clarke the winner of the sprint classification.

That second sprint provided almost as much drama as the first, not so much because Gerrans was able to get up for the win and to secure the three bonus seconds but because McEwen was able to throw his wheel into second place and deny Jongewaard what could have been a crucial extra second.

The outcome left Gerrans and Jongewaard locked together on exactly the st to the second – after six and half days, and more than 750 kilometres of riding.

It sent officials scrambling for the rule books to determine what would happen if that remained the case after the final sprint. They declared that Jongewaard would prevail as he had the better performance in Friday’s individual time trial.

The task for Gerrans and his team mates was thus immediately clear — the defending champ had to finish in the top three and earn bonus time in the final sprint, as well as ensuring the Commonwealth Games mountain biker finished behind him.

As Gerrans later revealed,

“We had Dave Sanders on race radio telling us the situation on the road. Our aim was to try and wrap it up before the finish line but to come down the wire was amazing.”

With two laps to go the team plan was clear to all — with Gerrans slotted in behind the power provided by four riders from early Tour leader Karl Menzies’ HealthNet squad and the guile and experience of his mate, McEwen.

And it worked to perfection with McEwen dashing to the line ahead of HealthNet’s Greg Henderson for the stage win but more importantly with a jubilant Gerrans, arms raised in third spot and in possession of those four precious bonus seconds.

The always smiling Gerrans when talking about his win, was quick to apportion credit,

“Robbie looked after me. He’s such an awesome professional. He knew exactly what had to do. I couldn’t have asked for anything more – although I wanted to take that first sprint.

“But it didn’t work quite to plan. It put that little more pressure on us to take that second sprint.”

McEwen, completed the acknowledgements,

“The first intermediate sprint didn’t go our way but we just kept battling on and took it second by second. The team just rode so well. What Simon and I did was just completing what they set us up for. They did a fantastic job.”

Not since Tasmanian Graham McVilly won in both 1973 and 1974 had a rider triumphed two years in a row. It was a fine outcome in a race that produced plenty of other good news stories.

Three fine young riders — Lowe, Simon Clarke (South Australia.com) and Mitchell Docker (Drapac Porsche) battled all week for the white jersey awarded to the best under 23 rider on general classification, with the Jayco man finally triumphant by just over a minute over Clarke.

Their battle and the presence of all three in the top eleven places overall is an encouraging sign for Australian cycling, which can also look forward to the contribution that will undoubtedly be made in a big way by king of the mountains and stage five winner, Matt Lloyd, who is just a year out of the young rider age group.

It looks as though both the Tour and the sport have much with which to move and look forward.

Results

1 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Australian National Team 1.26.01 (45.34 km/h)
2 Greg Henderson (NZl) Health Net Presented By Maxxis
3 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Australian National Team
4 Karl Menzies (Aus) Health Net Presented By Maxxis
5 Chris Jongewaard (Aus) Savings & Loans Cycling Team 0.01
6 Simon Clarke (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 0.03
7 Brett Aitken (Aus) Savings & Loans Cycling Team
8 Grant Irwin (Aus) DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed 0.05
9 Dominique Rollin (Can) Canadian National Team 0.06
10 David McCann (Irl) Giant Asia Racing Team

23 Eric Wolhberg (Can) Canadian National Team 0.25

Lapped riders

54 Ryan Mackenzie (Can) Canadian National Team 1.27.53
55 Derek McMaster (Can) Canadian National Team
71 Mark Walters (Can) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
77 Brandon Crichton (Can) Canadian National Team
83 Dustin Macburnie (Can) Canadian National Team
85 Bruno Langlois (Can) Canadian National Team

Final GC

1 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Australian National Team 20.33.01
2 Chris Jongewaard (Aus) Savings & Loans Cycling Team 0.05
3 David McCann (Irl) Giant Asia Racing Team 0.14
4 Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team 0.39
5 Dominique Rollin (Can) Canadian National Team 2.06
6 Trent Lowe (Aus) Australian National Team 2.18
7 Karl Menzies (Aus) Health Net Presented By Maxxis 3.19
8 Simon Clarke (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 3.22
9 Tobias Erler (Ger) Giant Asia Racing Team 3.48
10 Kirk O’Bee (USA) Health Net Presented By Maxxis 4.03

19 Eric Wolhberg (Can) Canadian National Team 31.09
28 Mark Walters (Can) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team 39.16
53 Derek McMaster (Can) Canadian National Team 50.24
58 Brandon Crichton (Can) Canadian National Team 51.32
62 Ryan Mackenzie (Can) Canadian National Team 53.06
63 Dustin Macburnie (Can) Canadian National Team 53.19
84 Bruno Langlois (Can) Canadian National Team 1.07.24

Points Classification

1 Hilton Clarke (Aus) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team 42 pts
2 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Australian National Team 28
3 Tobias Erler (Ger) Giant Asia Racing Team 28
4 Trent Wilson (Aus) Australian National Team 20
5 Karl Menzies (Aus) Health Net Presented By Maxxis 20
6 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 18
7 Dominique Rollin (Can) Canadian National Team 16
8 Mitchell Docker (Aus) Drapac Porsche 16
9 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Australian National Team 14
10 Chris Jongewaard (Aus) Savings & Loans Cycling Team 12
11 Peter McDonald (Aus) FRF Couriers-Caravello 12
12 Satoshi Hirose (Jpn) Japanese National Team 10
13 Hossein Askari (IRI) Giant Asia Racing Team 10
14 Greg Henderson (NZl) Health Net Presented By Maxxis 8
15 Patrick Shaw (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 8
16 David Tanner (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 8
17 Eric Wolhberg (Can) Canadian National Team 6
18 Maint Berkenbosch (Ned) Netherlands – Altipower 6
19 Stephen Gallagher (Irl) Giant Asia Racing Team 6
20 Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Porsche 6
21 David McCann (Irl) Giant Asia Racing Team 4
22 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 4
23 Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team 4
24 Scott Peoples (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 4
25 Robert McLachlan (Aus) Drapac Porsche 4
26 Tony Mann (Aus) Australian National Team 2
27 Mark Walters (Can) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team 2

Mountains

1 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 38 pts
2 Mitchell Docker (Aus) Drapac Porsche 14
3 Hossein Askari (IRI) Giant Asia Racing Team 10
4 Peter McDonald (Aus) FRF Couriers-Caravello 8
5 Trent Wilson (Aus) Australian National Team 8
6 Maint Berkenbosch (Ned) Netherlands – Altipower 8
7 Tobias Erler (Ger) Giant Asia Racing Team 6
8 Robert McLachlan (Aus) Drapac Porsche 4
9 Cornelius Van Ooijen (Ned) Netherlands – Altipower 4
10 Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team 2

U23 Classification

1 Trent Lowe (Aus) Australian National Team 20.35.19
2 Simon Clarke (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 1.03
3 Mitchell Docker (Aus) Drapac Porsche 1.48
4 Scott Peoples (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 31.23
5 David Tanner (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 34.08
6 Johnnie Walker (Aus) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team 37.04
7 Patrick Shaw (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 37.05
8 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 37.13
9 Casey Munro (Aus) Drapac Porsche 40.57
10 Manuel Cardoso (Por) Carvalhelhos-Boavista 41.56
11 Mark O’brien (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 44.20
12 Grant Irwin (Aus) DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed 46.01
13 John Murphy (USA) Health Net Presented By Maxxis 46.18
14 David Kemp (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 47.27
15 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 47.42
16 Brandon Crichton (Can) Canadian National Team 49.14
17 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers-Caravello 49.15
18 Zac Dempster (Aus) Australian National U23 Team 49.40
19 Cornelius Van Ooijen (Ned) Netherlands – Altipower 51.18
20 Daniel McConnell (Aus) Southaustralia.com-AIS 51.41
21 Dean Windsor (Aus) Drapac Porsche 54.29
22 Robert Cater (Aus) FRF Couriers-Caravello 58.34
23 Yasuharu Nakajima (Jpn) Japanese National Team 1.02.49
24 Yoshimitsu Tsuji (Jpn) Japanese National Team 1.21.15

Teams Classification

1 Jayco Australian National Team 61.36.35
2 Giant Asia Racing Team 25.17
3 Drapac Porsche 30.13
4 Navigators 39.02
5 Health Net Presented By Maxxis 50.13
6 South Australia.com – AIS 1.08.52
7 Bicycle Superstore –Canada 1.12.43
8 Savings & Loans 1.23.50
9 FRF Couriers Excelpro 1.25.10
10 Australia Under 23 1.31.46
11 Carvalhelhos — Boavista 1.44.09
12 Japan — La Trobe City 1.47.18
13 DFL/Cyclingnews 1.49.28
14 Netherlands — Altipower 1.59.03